NEWS: Alumni

Alumnus Leo Morand Helping Others Realize Their Dreams

February 4, 2013

With two uncles in the construction business, Leo Morand has long known his career calling. He turned to Rose-Hulman for the keys to realize those dreams after attending the institute’s summer Operation Catapult program.

Building Futures: Civil engineering alumnus Leo Morand designs roadway and public utility projects for Gewalt Hamilton Associates in Illinois. He also encourages high school students to consider careers in science and engineering, and attending Rose-Hulman. (Photo by Mark Fletcher)

“That solidified my interest that I would be an engineer and would go to Rose-Hulman,” he says.

Morand earned a civil engineering degree in 2002, and a decade later is just as committed to construction and Rose-Hulman. The construction part comes through designing roadway and public utility projects for Gewalt Hamilton Associates in Illinois.

Those responsibilities go quite a bit deeper than the physical design of the projects for communities and school districts. He’s also an integral part of the strategic planning and background work that make publicly financed projects possible. “I assist them with obtaining federal funds and planning future improvements,” Morand says. Public funds don’t grow on trees and accountability is critical. “You’re seeing more people trying to plan and stretch dollars more, and people want to be sure their dollars are being spent appropriately,” he says.

Because the work goes far beyond the drawing board, Morand’s skills go well beyond engineering. “I think the communication side is extremely important,” he says. The good thing is, “Rose-Hulman does a great job teaching you to communicate.”

That’s one of the things he tells students and parents while representing Rose-Hulman at college fairs. He is about as dedicated an ambassador for the institute as you will find anywhere, serving on the Young Alumni Council and directing talented prospects (including siblings) to attend Rose-Hulman. Morand, in fact, sees communications as something Rose-Hulman should continue to expand, not only to students, but also in outreach to alumni and other supporters.

Away from work, he’s a new parent, which understandably takes up a lot of free time. He’s been active in a lot of ways, including serving on the committee that’s planning a multipurpose facility for his church, and works with Habitat for Humanity. It seems that he’s a builder even away from work, and he’s thankful to have entered life after college with the confidence that comes from completing a rigorous Rose-Hulman education. “If you have this down, you can do anything,” he says.